


Reckless

by Maygra, Ruby J (rubygirl29)



Series: Wild Night [3]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: First Time, M/M, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 00:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1166253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maygra/pseuds/Maygra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubygirl29/pseuds/Ruby%20J
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wild Night II - Reckless<br/>By Ruby J & Maygra<br/>(meant to be read in tandem with <i>Control</i>)<br/>The art of observation is brought a little closer to home</p><p>Originally posted in April 2002</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reckless

Wild Night II-Reckless by Ruby J & Maygra

Reckless. High as a kite, breathing air that seemed charged with electricity and alive with excitement. Heady and vibrant, shivering in his lungs and going to his head like liquor. Only the liquor he was drunk on was the physical presence of the man next to him. He licked his lips and tasted the lingering tang of salt and sweet from Tanner’s mouth on his. And his hands on the wheel, even though he had cleaned them on his shirt, still smelled like sex in the moist heat. 

He didn’t want to think of what had happened between him and Vin that night -- that wild, reckless fuck in an alley -- more of truth and dare in it than anything else. If he thought about it, the consequences and effects, he’d drive himself crazy. But it was damned hard not to think of it when the cab of the Ram smelled like Vin’s damp hair; the herbal-scented shampoo, the earthy aromas of rain and wind, and Vin ... 

Grateful that there was no traffic, and at the same time wishing that there was something to distract him from his awareness of Tanner, sitting still and quiet, as much distance between them as the seat of the Ram allowed. Chris watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and even that was as erotic as hell. The street lamps laid bands of light and shadow across his body, and that sharply angled profile was cool and pale as ivory in the washed out illumination. One hand lay on the seat between them, and Chris wanted to touch it, to feel the hard ridges of bone and the rise of knuckles, the knob at the edge of the narrow wrist showing beneath the cuff of Vin’s flannel shirt. But he sensed Tanner’s withdrawal into a quiet space; not cold or unfeeling, but controlled, as if the slightest touch would set him off. 

Hell, Chris understood that. 

He turned his attention back to negotiating the streets of Purgatorio, where caution and alertness were required. He pulled into the small off-street lot and parked beneath the single lamp, knowing that the space was visible from Vin’s apartment -- not that he’d be spending much time looking out the window ... 

A feral smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he threw the shift into park. It was Vin’s spot he had pulled into, and since Tanner’s jeep was still in the parking garage at the Federal building, it looked like he’d be spending the night. 

A low, hot burn slid through his guts at that thought. He’d spent the night on Vin’s couch before, when necessity and exhaustion made the drive home to the ranch beyond his capabilities. It was better than the spine-bender at the office, and he had always been welcome. He’d slept there stripped, wrapped in blankets, knowing Vin was breathing just a few yards away, and had never given it a second thought. Had Vin? Just another in a long line of questions waiting their turn to be answered. 

He was in no mood to answer them right now. Questions were meant to be faced in daylight, unflinching and honest. But dawn was hours away and all else be damned. 

He heard a soft curse as Vin struggled with the latch on the seat belt. One of these days he’d get it fixed, but right now, that belt was holding Vin Tanner captive, and Chris felt like hunting. He leaned over, deliberately reaching with his left hand, so that he was twisted to face Vin. As he pressed close, he saw Tanner’s eyes widen and darken. Chris’s lips curved in a predatory grin. 

He heard Vin’s breath catch, then, with the killer reflexes life had forced Tanner to hone, he pinned Chris’s hand against his hip, his arm curving around Chris’s back to hold him close. Angling his head just so, he swooped down, lips and tongue claiming and invading Chris’s in a hard, hot kiss. 

Chris’s fingers twisted in Vin’s hair, the damp, silky strands clinging to him. He arched inwards, pressing closer, hips rising off the seat of the Ram, and Vin moved his hand from his hip to his groin, and the growing swell of his erection. The warmth of hard flesh beneath worn denim made Chris moan softly. He stroked through the fabric, knuckles gliding along the ridge of Vin’s cock, and Tanner breathed into his mouth. 

Chris tore his lips away from Vin’s. “Didn’t come to Purgatorio for a hand job in my truck,” he gasped. “And I don’t think this is the place for anything else.” 

Vin’s eyes opened wide, the blue irises nearly eclipsed by the black dilation of his pupils. He swallowed, seemed to find himself, and gave a raspy laugh. “Then get off and let me the hell outta here, Larabee. Houdini couldn’t git himself outta this fucked up seat belt.” 

Chris snorted, and, with an annoyingly deft manipulation, released the belt. “Easy.” He leaned in quickly for a kiss and a teasing lick of Vin’s lower lip. He got out of the Ram, waited for Vin to close his door and armed the security system. They walked quickly, not touching. Alert. Then inside and practically running up the stairs -- four flights, not risking the elevator. Though Chris was willing to chance being stuck there with Vin, the Texan had a case of claustrophobia bordering on neurosis. 

They were both breathing hard and laughing by the time they reached Vin’s doorway. Vin wrestled with the locks he had installed, put his shoulder to the door and heaved it open. He grabbed a fistful of Chris’s sweatshirt, pulled him inside, and hit the lights. 

Chris blinked, eyes adjusting. Vin was leaning against the closed door; his eyes locked on Chris like a laser. Chris thought his cheekbones would burn right through his skin under that searing study. Vin’s gaze dropped to the obvious swell of his cock. So that’s the way it was ... Chris was amused and ridiculously self-satisfied at the hunger in Tanner’s eyes, the way his tongue moistened his lips. He braced his hands on his hips, taking a careless stance. Waiting and not letting on that his heart was thundering in his chest, that he wanted nothing right now but for Vin to touch him. Recalling what they had done in the alley and wanting so much more than that. 

That memory was imprinted like a brand clear through to his bones. His body was reacting on its own, his mind shut down like it did when he had to kill and couldn’t afford any debates of conscience or doubts. 

He saw the first wavering in Vin, that tongue moistening his lips as if he was thirsty, his eyes coming back up; dilated and dark, yearning and hungry. Chris tried to remember how to breathe. 

His indrawn breath seemed to set a spur to Vin. He stripped off his flannel shirt, his damp T-shirt, tossing them aside. Tanner was on the prowl, and Chris was his prey. Excitement fired in him at that knowledge, his stomach and groin tightening in anticipation: fight or flight. He had no intention of either. He raised his head, meeting the challenge. But the predator didn’t pounce. He stopped just short, so close that Chris’s nostrils flared at the scent of him; spicy musk, damp hair, the bitter undertone of masculine sweat. 

Tanner hooked his fingers beneath the hem of his sweatshirt, lifted it. Chris raised his arms. The air cooled the stretch of his skin over his ribs and across his pecs, and then Vin’s hands were resting on him as delicately as the whisper of the air, but so much warmer. 

“No hand jobs, huh?” Vin said, amused and suddenly so sure of what he wanted, of what Chris wanted. “How do you feel about mouths?” 

Chris stilled; breath and heartbeat seeming to come to a stuttering stop. Vin’s lips brushed across Chris’s, teasing, then paused a fraction of an inch away. Chris exhaled and their mouths came together. 

God, that kiss in the alley had nothing on this one. Haste and adrenaline were powerful aphrodisiacs, but this ... this ... Chris stroked his tongue against Vin’s, tasting, twining, exploring. He moved his hands through Vin’s hair, uttering a soft moan when Tanner’s skilled fingers found his nipple, circling and teasing while his other hand moved lazily over Chris’s shoulders, slipping down the ladder of ribs to his waist, then curving around, pushing hard past the tight denim band of his jeans. He was pressing Chris close, the crest of his hip and the dip of his belly forming a hollow that cradled his erection. Chris pushed into that hollow, unable to disguise his arousal. 

Vin tore his mouth away. Those Goddamned blue eyes were luminous, hot. “Let me suck you off,” he rasped, the heat of his breath making Chris dizzy, almost as dizzy as the recollection of that mouth on his flesh. 

“Yes,” he said. “God, yes.” Thinking that if they didn’t get horizontal fast, he was gonna pass out in Tanner’s hallway before either of them got a chance to get what they wanted. “Bedroom,” he managed to gasp as Vin’s fingers played over the bulge of his erection on their way to the brass rivet. 

Vin laughed, low and rough. “Thought ya’d never ask, cowboy.” 

"Never knew you wanted me to,” Chris answered. “Never knew *I* wanted you to.” 

Vin’s eyes widened, his fingers closed around Chris’s wrist, tight, as if he expected him to change his mind and make a break for it. He pulled him close for a kiss, his left arm hooking around the back of Chris’s neck, and if Chris had any doubts about his decision, they burned away as he wrapped his arms around Vin’s shoulders, amazed still that this felt so right. 

Vin’s teeth slid along Chris’s lower lip. His lips were firm and sweet, rough where the stubble on his upper lip rubbed against Chris’s. His tongue invited Chris to open to him, and he did, letting Tanner suck softly at his tongue, drawing it into his mouth, the rhythm suggesting a different yielding. Chris ached, felt Vin’s hand resting on his hip, stroking down and in, the thumb brushing over his cock. Chris moved closer, his body relaxing into the kiss, into Vin’s touch. 

Vin took a step to the side, bumping his hip into Chris’s, angling their bodies towards the bedroom door. Chris didn’t need much encouragment to head there, but Vin pulled away from the kiss, breathing hard. His lips moved down Chris’s cheek, to his jaw, to the curve of throat and shoulder. The flesh there was thin and sensitive and Chris laughed breathlessly, his hands playing over Vin’s damp skin, contours of muscle and bone both familiar and strange to his touch, but oh, so enticing. His fingers splayed across Vin’s back. His other hand was threaded through the curls of Vin’s hair, and he was backed up until his spine came to rest against the unyielding doorway. They were kissing again, harder and more urgent this time. Vin’s fingers were working at the brass rivet and the zipper on Chris’s jeans. He angled his hips at that touch, thinking that if Tanner didn’t get his fingers working right, he would burst right through the fabric. 

He heard Vin’s small, triumphant gasp as the denim prison released his cock, and he gasped, too, when Vin’s hand parted the fly, finding him hard, full, and ready. Vin pushed him back a little. “Keep movin’, Chris.” Tugging at the now loose waist of his jeans. 

Three steps, a quick catch as the edge of the bed met the backs of his knees, then those blue eyes were appraising him, a purely wicked smile on those lips. Vin released him, a slight push all that was needed to set him back on the bed. Vin crouched over him, predatory once again, pausing for a quick kiss before he knelt on the floor to pull off Chris’s boots. Intent was clear, and action was much slower than the thought. Chris pushed himself upright to get undressed as quickly as possible. 

“Not without me,” Vin warned, stepping back long enough to toe off his boots and loosen his jeans. Chris licked his lips in anticipation, and couldn’t suppress a groan when Tanner didn’t strip off his own clothes, but instead laid Chris back down with the flats of his palms. When he started to tug at jeans and briefs, Chris lifted his hips, felt the fabric slide and catch on his erect cock. His breath caught, and Vin eased the elastic over and down, exposing Chris. Vin’s hands stilled on his hips, pressing to hold him there without taking the clothing all the way down Chris’s legs. Tanner’s eyes were blue slits of concentrated fire. Chris felt like he was impaled there, he didn’t move -- couldn’t move -- as Vin knelt at the bedside. 

Chris closed his eyes. Waiting. He could hear Vin breathe. His hands were warm on the span of Chris’s hips, the thumbs moving gently over coarse pubic hair and setting every nerve ablaze. Then he felt the glide of a warm, moist tongue up from the root to the head of his cock. He cried out softly, nearly sobbed when Vin took him deep. The glide of his tongue, the teasing lap, the sweet contraction of Vin’s throat muscles as he swallowed, the pressure of his lips as he sucked and licked the pre-cum from Chris’s cock ... Sensation overwhelmed him, and his body thrust into Vin’s mouth as Vin let him move and fuck him, willing to let him. 

Chris arched off the bed, bowed high and hard for a second as his climax pushed him to the brink of sensation, then dropped him quivering and spurting cum into Vin’s mouth. He cried out hoarsely, as wave after wave of pleasure broke over him. Vin milked him, swallowed him, held him until he sank down, boneless and empty. 

He lay there, the wild rush of his heart slowing and his breath returning to normal. He knew he was smiling, and couldn’t help it. He moved a lazy hand towards Vin, brushing lightly over sweat-damp curls. Vin’s moist, rough cheek was resting in the hollow of his groin, his breath ghosting over Chris’s skin. He moved his fingers through Tanner’s hair. “C’mon up here,” he whispered. 

“Got somethin’ t’do first,” he said. He slipped away from Chris’s touch and stripped the jeans and briefs all the way off, and slipped the socks off Chris’s feet so that he was finally naked. 

Chris raised up on his elbows. Vin was kneeling there, just looking. Chris raised a brow, unembarrassed and easy with his body. He slid sideways, lifted his legs on the bed. “Plenty of room here with me, partner.” 

And God, Vin blushed. 

Chris marveled at that, wondering what could make a man like Tanner blush. He sure as hell wasn’t a virgin; hadn’t been shy about making his wants known back in that alley. But there was something in those eyes that went beyond desire. Not quite doubt, not quite surprise. While Chris tried to figure it out, Vin moved from kneeling on the floor to sitting on the bed. 

Chris felt the mattress shift, and he let it tilt him closer to Vin. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, just waited and watched. Vin stretched out a hand, the movement tentative, but the touch sure as he glided his palm along the curve of Chris’s ribs, to his hip, down his flank. Chris saw Vin’s eyes darken, the edge of his lower lip caught between his teeth as if in fierce concentration on the feel of Chris’s skin beneath his hand. Sensual, elemental, and Chris felt something break in him, like ice cracking in the spring. This was more than a reckless, breathless rush to fuck in the dark. This was making love, and Chris’s eyes narrowed, not wanting to think of consequences as Vin’s fingers drifted and teased across his skin. 

Vin moved closer, bracing his arm alongside Chris’s, and bending close to kiss his way from the hard curve of his waist to the arc of his ribcage. Chris’s breath drew in and he eased over to his back, wanting to feel that mouth tease and taste more than skin. Vin tongued his nipple, sucked at the bud of the peaked flesh. Chris sighed lazily and opened his eyes. 

Vin was turned, half-reclined. The hand that wasn’t on Chris was slipped into his open fly. Chris moved quickly, fingers closing around Vin’s wrist, startling him, too, judging from the way he tensed, like he’d been burned. “Stop,” Chris said softly, regretting his reflexes, and gentling his clasp. “Not so fast, partner.” He leaned into Vin, pinioning him loosely against the mattress and moving in to kiss him. His lips caressed Vin’s; small nibbles teasing at the corners, catching the lower curve between his teeth, tugging and molding the contours to his. 

Vin’s taste was intoxicating, the salty musk of his own semen lingering over a sweetness. Chris drank it in, smiling a bit to feel Vin’s pulse beat faster under that seduction. His fingers gently gathered Vin’s hair away from his throat and he spent time there, learning those contours, too. 

Vin moaned softly, and Chris straightened away, looking at him; the dark fan of lashes on his cheeks, the hard-angled jaw, the long sweet throat. He’d seen Tanner without a shirt working at the ranch, knew that he was slender and hard-muscled, graceful and strong. He stroked his palms down Vin’s narrow waist and took hold of his jeans. Vin lifted his hips and Chris pulled denim and cotton boxers down, lifting the waist band over his erection, careful not to hurt. He slid the jeans down Vin’s long legs, cast the clothing aside and sat back to admire the view. 

That he did admire it wasn’t unusual; he appreciated beauty in any form. What surprised him was that just looking at Vin could make him ache with desire, arouse him as swiftly as if he had been touched. Sexual hunger burned in his eyes as they traveled the length of Vin’s body; strong legs, narrow hips, the dark curls of hair shadowing his groin, his cock, erect and flushed, swollen and glistening with semen. Chris swallowed and forced himself to look away from that temptation. His gaze followed the line of Vin’s sternum from navel to the notch of his clavicle, the hard bow of bone and muscle across his shoulders and chest. The skin there was flushed beneath the golden tan, spangled with a dusting of freckles, and marked with scars, some that Chris knew, and others that were a mystery. 

Vin was breathing lightly and quickly through parted lips, and his eyes were wide, slightly uneasy beneath Chris’s scorching appraisal. “You got somethin’ more than lookin’ in mind, Larabee?” he asked. 

Chris moved, stretching out long and lean over Vin. His hands drifted up those legs to take hold of Vin’s hips, spanning his pelvis. Curious, and more than a little nervous, Chris paused inches away from Vin’s sex. He inhaled the scent of skin and cum, warm and musky. He raised his eyes, met Vin watching him, as breathless as he was. He’d never taken a man into his mouth but then, he’d never fucked one in an alley either, he thought, amused at his own hesitation. 

He bent his head and opened his lips around Vin’s cock. It was a revelation. The heat and velvet of the skin, the firm, swollen head, the salty, slightly bitter taste of the fluid at the tip. Chris explored with his tongue, probed the slit and heard Vin’s breath catch. He closed his fingers around Vin’s balls, gently kneading the sacs, and when Vin raised his hips, he relaxed his throat and took him deeper. He laved the shaft with his tongue from root to head, drank down more cum, getting used to the taste and finding it sweet. 

Vin was trembling between his hands; and Chris was aware of his own arousal, but he didn’t know, wasn’t sure what was next. He released Vin, looked up at him. “You want this?” he asked, not knowing if Vin was capable of a coherent answer, or if he was capable of a coherent response. 

Vin raised himself on his elbow and reached over to the night stand. He jerked the drawer open and took out a jar of Vaseline. “Use this,” he gasped and lay back, his arm over his eyes. Chris’s fingers were trembling. He dipped them inside the jar, coated them thickly, slicked up his cock, nearly coming at his own touch as he watched the rise and fall of Vin’s ribcage as he panted, waiting. A tremor shivered through Vin’s body, and a whispered plea that was nearly a sob came from his lips. “Please, Chris.” 

“Roll over,” His voice was harsh with wanting and needing. 

Vin turned willingly, and Chris moved to straddle him, then stopped, appalled. A bruise like a dark shadow spread across Vin’s back, from ribcage to ribcage. “Jesus, Vin,” he breathed, ran a light finger across the discoloration. “Looks like you went ten rounds with a truck. You should’ve told me.” 

Vin’s shoulders started shaking and he lifted his head, turned to look at Chris, laughter sparkling in his eyes. “Cain’t see my own back, Chris.” 

“It must hurt ...” 

Vin’s smiled widened. “Shut up, Chris. There’s other parts ‘a me hurtin’ worse right now. Need some distraction t’ take my mind off it.” He moved his ass, pressing up against Chris’s groin. “Think you c’n help with that?” 

“Fuck you, Tanner,” Chris chuckled. 

“That’s what I’m hopin’.” A wink over his shoulder and another teasing rub against Chris. Then a laughing gasp as Chris swatted him lightly on the rump. 

“Damn tease,” he said, but he bent to lay a line of kisses along the bruise. His fingers were still slick with Vaseline and he moved them down Vin’s back, kneaded the firm muscles of his ass. Vin pulled a pillow over, shoved it under himself to angle his body temptingly. Chris slid his fingers between the firm cheeks, found what he sought and slid a finger inside Vin’s body. Amazed at what he felt: the muscles clenching as Vin’s back arched, not flinching away from the penetration. Chris moved his finger, finding the small, hard prostate gland, and stroking against it steadily. Vin moaned, a low curse of pleasure, and the ring of muscle loosened around Chris’s finger. He withdrew it and settled, pressing his cock inward, fascinated as his flesh sank into Vin’s, and surprised that instinct took over before he lost all power of thought at the pure physical pleasure of Vin’s tight body sheathing him. 

He slid his hand under Vin’s hips, between the pillow and his body, and folded his fist over Vin’s cock, rubbing his thumb over the slick head. A gasp of breath as he thrust deeper, and then Vin cried out, tensing, thrusting against Chris’s fist. He felt the rush of semen over his hand as Vin came, and his own climax surged through him, his seed spilling into Vin’s body as dizzying pleasure blinded him like lightning beating against his closed eyelids. 

The shuddering orgasm rocked him hard, the tide of blood receding slowly. His arms were shaking and he let them drop him down, pressing his chest against Vin’s back. Vin’s heartbeat thudded against his -- or maybe it was his own. His cock softened and slid from Vin’s body, and Chris rolled to his side so he could breathe more easily. He reached to stroke Vin’s hair, and he moved his head, burrowing into Chris’s palm, then turned so he could look at him. 

Chris laid his palm alongside Vin’s cheek, and Tanner nuzzled it with his lips. He sighed, blue eyes a bit bleary, and gave Chris a smile. “Y’all right, Chris?” 

“Yeah, I’m all right. You?” 

“Yeah.” His eyes closed and he laid an arm over Chris’s chest. “Tired,” he mumbled, and sighed sleepily. His lips moved, a mere breath of sound. “Never thought I could love you more than I did ...” 

Chris’s hand which had been playing idly with Vin’s hair stilled in mid-motion. “Vin?” he whispered, but the sharpshooter was gone, breathing quietly, completely unaware that he had spoken aloud. Chris pulled his hand away cautiously. Vin’s arm was a warm weight on his chest. Chris couldn’t move, wouldn’t move, without waking the man sleeping next to him, and he wasn’t about to leave without figuring things out. 

Love? Vin loved him? Had loved him for quite some time, and he hadn’t noticed, or maybe had just had accepted it as being part of that mental communion he and Vin had shared from the first moment they’d met. Instant trust, instant understanding ... maybe it was like falling in love at first sight. 

Why was it so hard to accept that? Was it any easier to think it was nothing more than sex? Easier to understand. Hell, that’s what it had been in the dark and the rain. Two available bodies overcome with an adrenaline-fueled erotic rush. Was that what he wanted this night to be? 

Yes. Hell, yes! It was the best sex he’d had in years. The best since ... 

Sarah. 

He remembered the first time they had made love. It had been amazing, the best. And it wasn’t because she was the most skilled, or the wildest, or the most experienced. It had been because she loved him. It had taken him all of thirty seconds to figure that one out. How thick could he be? 

Vin. 

He turned his head. This, this might take a bit longer. He wasn’t quite sure he could wrap his mind around that reality. Not the part about having sex with another man and finding it pleasurable, but the part about making love ... and Vin loving him ... and saying it ... 

That was what sent Chris reeling. He wasn’t a man to use the word love lightly, and he suspected -- hell, he *knew* Vin wasn’t either. Half-conscious as he was, chances were he didn’t even know what he had said. And maybe that was for the best. 

Might buy Chris more time to figure out what *this* was. 

He was suddenly aware that he was stroking Vin’s arm and liking the feel of it ... the light furring of hair, warm skin, hard muscles, and fine bones. While he was trying to figure out what he felt, it seemed like his own body was telling him what was right for him. 

He sighed, sat up and reached for the quilt folded over the foot of the bed. 

Vin lifted his head, murmured,“Chris?” Sleepily, not really awake. 

Chris pulled the quilt over both of them and lay back down. “I’m still here, go back to sleep.” He smiled when Vin scooted closer to his warmth, settling once again with his arm over Chris’s chest. He could live with this. Wasn’t sure he could live *without* it. 

And figured that was the most reckless decision he had made in this wild night. 

________________________________________ 

Warm. Too warm. And not in a familiar bed. But that was not what had drawn him awake. It was a touch; feather-light, soft. The touch roamed down his shoulder, then grew sharper, nearly uncomfortable and burning faintly. Chris roused from his sleep, unwilling to lose the sweet darkness. He opened his eyes, blinked into the faint artificial illumination. The light fell obliquely across a familiar silhouette, hitting and highlighting the curve of a shoulder and the glint of dark hair. 

“Vin?” 

He startled, releasing Chris’s arm from the clasp that had awakened him. “Sorry ... didn’t mean t’wake ya,” he whispered. “Early yet, might as well sleep.” 

Chris heard the faint tremor of something ... not quite sure what, in Tanner’s voice. The light from the window was at his back, and he couldn’t see his face clearly, couldn’t read those blue eyes. Wondered what was going on his mind, wondering if he was remembering his last words before he’d fallen asleep. Chris propped himself up and tried to see past the shadows. “Something wrong?” 

“Looks like Ignacio managed to mark ya,” Vin said. He rubbed Chris’s arm below the slight burn as if to soothe it. “I didn’t notice it before.” 

Chris smiled, remembering why neither of them had paid much attention to it earlier. He stroked Vin’s forearm, finding as much pleasure in it as he had earlier. His smile deepened and a low chuckle worked its way from his throat. “We were kinda busy, as I recall.” 

Vin ducked his head, a soft chuff of laughter answering Chris. “Yeah, I’d say we were a little distracted.” 

Chris wondered if there was a blush to go along with that duck of the head. He nudged Vin back flat on the bed where the light fell across the pillow, and damn, if there wasn’t that color on Tanner’s face -- faint in the pallid city light, but there. Tenderness was too soft a word for the emotion flowing through Chris. Maybe wonder ... Vin curved an arm under his head, his eyes fixed on Chris’s, blue and deep, calm at the moment and a bit pensive. 

His skin was smooth, scars and freckles softened in the dim illumination. Chris spread his hand over Vin’s pecs, flat-palmed, exploring the rise of muscle, the peak of a hardened nipple, as he might stroke his palm over the surface of cool marble, smooth wood, fine silk, to discover the texture and set it in his mind to savor. Still smiling slightly, he curved his fingers and brushed the backs of his knuckles across the ridge of Vin’s clavicle, up the long throat, feeling the ripple of muscle as Vin swallowed. His touch glided along the wide angled jaw, now rough with a day’s stubble, glittering gold and red in the light. Chris knew if he bent his lips to that skin, it would taste like salt, and rain, and faintly of sex. He tilted his head, appraising the beauty of this man beneath his hands, but never breaking the lock of his gaze on Tanner’s. 

His smile softened, and he bent for a kiss. Vin’s mouth was soft beneath the pressure of Chris’s lips, and he kissed, and coaxed, and molded those lips to his, taking his time with this kiss, not asking for more than Vin was willing to give. He felt Vin’s breath enter his mouth, his tongue tasting and exploring. His hand came up to burrow in his hair, cradling the back of Chris’s skull as the kiss deepened. Chris gave up on wondering, thinking, worrying. 

When they drifted apart, Chris raised his head and gently brushed the waves of hair from Vin’s forehead. Those blue eyes were dark, watching him with faint astonishment that he knew was reflected in his own. “Why’d we wait so long for this?” He voiced his thought; not a casual question, or a leading tease, but honest wonderment. 

Vin’s eyes widened at that. His fingers slipped through Chris’s hair. He seemed to think for a moment. “Scared,” he admitted, and Chris blinked. Scared? This man who lived in a goddamned war zone, who’d prowled the streets of Denver’s underbelly without flinching, who could take a shot to end a life without blinking ... this man was scared? Chris’s brow lifted skeptically, but he waited for Vin to continue. “Sometimes you can want something too much.” 

“You knew you wanted this?” 

“I knew. Never thought I could have it, though. Wasn’t like I had any reason t’think it would ever happen.” 

“I didn’t know,” Chris said. A tug of regret roughened his voice, and he cleared his throat, expecting some response from Vin, but not the low, amused chuckle he got. 

“Hell, Larabee. If you’d found out before tonight, you’d’ve have lit out so fast in the opposite direction, you would’ve left a vapor trail.” 

Chris laughed at the honest analogy. True. God, it was so true. Until this one breathless, reckless night had changed everything. Chris drew a finger across Vin’s lips and lay down beside him, stretching out a long arm and inviting Vin to move closer. “Guess I’ll have t’make up for lost time.” His fingers played across Vin’s bicep and he adjusted the angle of his chin so Tanner’s hair wasn’t in his mouth when he spoke. “Think we can start with this weekend?” 

Vin twisted his head so he could see Chris. “You sure about this?” 

“Now’s a hell of a time to ask me that,” Chris yawned. “I reckon I’d better be sure.” 

“Ya got a couple hours t’sleep on it.” 

Chris nodded, tired and relaxed, starting to feel some of the bruises and stiffness he’d ignored earlier. He stretched and grunted softly at the various twinges the action caused. He and Vin were both close to dropping off to sleep and the feel of Vin’s body growing lax against his was more familiar and comfortable than anything he’d felt in a long time. 

“Chris?” 

“Mmm?” 

“Wouldn’t blame ya if you saw things different in the light of day.” 

Chris swallowed hard, knowing the courage it took say that; to release him from whatever bonds the night had imposed. “I won’t,” he said. “You might.” 

“No, I won’t. Ain’t nothing about you I’m likely to turn away from, Chris, no matter what.” 

The answer came quickly, almost breathlessly, the last part bitten off as if Vin were afraid that more words would spring out before he could stop them. Chris suspected those words would have been similar to Vin’s sleepy revelation, and he wanted to tell him that he knew, that it was all right. But he also knew that those words had never been meant for him to hear. Vin had opened his heart unknowingly, and Chris would not take advantage of that vulnerable flesh. 

Vin’s thumb drifted across his lips. “I won’t,” he said again, quietly. “But we always get to come back to right here, before tonight. Don’t worry on it none, Chris. Been a long night ... ain’t nothing gonna change in the next few hours but both of us getting some sleep and coming at this with clearer heads.” 

Chris captured Vin’s hand and held it still over his heart. He reached over, curved his arm around Tanner’s narrow waist and pulled him closer. The heat between their bodies was palpable, intimate, even though they were not touching other than the hold Chris had at Vin’s wrist and waist. Vin’s pulse quickened beneath Chris’s fingers and his breath grew shallow. 

Chris released Vin’s hand. His fingers tangled in Vin’s hair, combing through the strands. His thumb rubbed Vin’s temple and Tanner’s eyes closed. Chris tipped closer. His lips touched Vin’s eyelids, feeling the thin skin quiver at the touch, and the soft sweep of lashes beneath his lips. He tilted Vin’s head up, found his lips. His own rested there lightly, not quite a kiss. He thought of what Vin had said, *We can always get back to right here, before tonight.* 

Sure, maybe they could. And maybe the stars would alter their courses and rivers start to run uphill. There were no absolutes in life, Chris had learned that better and more bitterly than most men, but the clear light of day wouldn’t alter the course he had been set on from the moment he’d let that first kiss go from convenient disguise to desire. 

“We can’t get back to before tonight,” he whispered against Vin’s lips. “We gotta go forward, Vin. Might not be able to see where we are going too clearly right now, but I’m willing to go down this path, if you are. You understand?” 

A slight nod and a sigh in the darkness. “I’m willin’, Chris. Been walking with ya fer a while and I kinda like it.” His voice was low and soft, an amused, whispery rasp that sent a jolt of arousal through Chris’s body. He set his mouth more firmly on Vin’s, his lips working the sweet contours, and he tightened his clasp on Vin’s waist, closing that small space between them, and feeling the length of him; the way his cock was halfway to being hard and pressing to fill the hollow at his groin and pelvis. 

“Then that’s the way it’ll be, partner,” Chris whispered against Vin’s throat as he began a slow, fiery exploration of Tanner’s jaw and the tender, sensitive angle just below his ear. His hand slipped down to Vin’s chest and his fingers teased the nipple to hardness. He rolled the peak between his fingers, and Vin gasped. Chris caught the nape of his neck, long fingers buried deep in the rich waves, and he captured Vin’s lips, limning them with the touch of his tongue, then being taken in a deep kiss. 

He felt Vin’s hand stroke down his chest and lower; his fingers closed over Chris’s cock and his thumb slicked over the head. Chris didn’t even try to suppress the low moan of need welling from his throat. His hips rocked against Vin’s hand, and he would have spent himself there if Vin hadn’t given him a hard kiss and released him, pushing him flat on his back. Chris lay there, panting and about ready to wrap his fingers around that throat he’d been so enamored of a few minutes earlier. 

He eyed Tanner, caught between strangling him or jerking himself off just to spite the aggravating Texan. Eyes narrowed and glittering, he slid his hand down his stomach, watching Tanner watch him. He wrapped his fingers around his cock and raised his knee, opened it to one side and lifted his hips, spread out there in the light, taunting the sharpshooter. 

Probably not a wise move, he realized when Vin pounced. He caught Chris’s hand, captured both of his wrists, and pinned him flat. “Y’ain’t goin’ anywhere without me, Larabee. So don’t even think it.” He kissed him hard, teeth scraping against Chris’s lips, then with his hands still braceleted around Chris’s wrists, pressed into his body, and moved down, his stubbled cheek scraping on pale skin as he kissed and nuzzled his way down to Chris’s cock. He took it in his mouth, milked the slit until Chris thought he’d willingly die, then suddenly released him. “Got an idea ya might like,” he said. And as suddenly as he had pounced, let him go. “Be right back.” 

Chris swore, aching, aroused, and ready to come at Vin’s touch. He watched Tanner as he slipped from the bed. The light wrapped itself around his naked body in bands of grey and pale gold, supple as silk on his skin. He left the bedroom and a minute later, Chris heard the God-awful rattle of the bathroom pipes as Vin started the water running. Chris rolled out of bed and grinned. Yeah, he had a feeling he was gonna like this ... 

________________________________________ 

Chris stood just outside the doorway enjoying the fine view of Vin’s naked body as he moved around the small space. He leaned over the tub to gather up the bottles on the ledge, and Chris decided it was payback time for leaving him in the lurch. He moved quickly, all lean grace and fast reflexes. He caught a glimpse of Vin’s wide-eyed reflection in the mirror as he quickly snaked an arm around Vin’s shoulders and with the other, caught him around the waist, pulling him tight against his body. “You’re a damned tease, Tanner,” he whispered and felt Vin shiver. He nipped his earlobe sharply, grinned as Vin yelped in surprise, then soothed and sucked on the tender flesh. Vin leaned into the curve of his body, twisted a bit to look up at Chris. 

“Just trying to make it good for you ... us ...” Vin gasped as Chris glided his hand over his belly, down the lean plane of his groin. 

“I thought we were doing pretty well ...” Chris whispered. He rubbed his cheek alongside Vin’s jaw, felt him shudder at the touch. He pressed his cock tight against Vin’s ass and thought he’d come from the feel and weight of Vin’s body. God, he wanted this man ... 

“We’re doing real well.” Vin twisted, sliding away from Chris’s touch. “Gonna make it better.” Better? Better would kill him, Chris thought. It must have shown on his face. Vin drew a breath. “Trust me?” 

He would have made a flippant reply, but something in Vin’s eyes set him back, as he realized that Tanner was not flirting, but watching him levelly. Chris swallowed, releasing him. “Always.” 

Vin gave him a brilliant smile and a quick, hard kiss, moving away to turn off the taps and test the water. “Get in,” he said, breathless and waiting. 

Chris stepped into the water and sank down. The heat of the water lapped at him, surrounded him, and he settled against the curved back of the tub with a groan of pleasure. He tipped his head back and watched as Vin stepped in with him, his eyes devouring every inch of Tanner’s slim frame. Vin knelt and straddled his hips. Chris saw the relief as he sank down into the hot water. He rested there, balanced lightly on Chris’s body as he adjusted to the temperature of the water. Chris stretched his arms on either side of the tub rim, watching as Vin poured oil into his hand. He raised up on his knees, his flushed cock rising clear of the water. Chris’s stomach clenched as Tanner slicked himself up. He was spellbound by the taut concentration on Vin’s face as he oiled his crack, and the hunger in his eyes as he poured more oil into his palm and reached for Chris. 

He bit his lip at that touch, oil and water and Vin’s fingers bringing him to full hardness. His hips lifted and Vin gripped the side of the tub with one hand, guiding Chris’s cock to his anus with his other, and the slowly impaling himself on the iron flesh. He kissed Chris, tongue sweetly probing, smiling when Chris gasped with the pleasure of being joined to him. 

The heat of the water and the heat of Vin’s body surrounded him. The layer of oil eased and emphasized every movement. Chris’s instinct was to thrust, seeking climax, but Vin quelled it with a touch on his shoulder and a dreamy whisper. “Shh ...Trust me.” And he tightened his muscles. 

Chris’s eyes opened wider at the sensation of being slowly squeezed inside his lover. Vin was above him, around him. His skin was darkly flushed, blood rising to paint his skin. His hair hung in damp waves around his face, and clung wetly to his square jaw. His expression was focused, tender, as he worked him with small contractions of his thighs and buttocks. Chris stroked the hard curve of Vin’s waist and hip, slid a hand up to play across his chest, warm and silky-wet. Vin’s eyes met his. A smile curved his lips as his small movements brought them closer to the edge, then let the heat and the oil ease them back. It was a rhythm as old as the ocean, as natural as the pulse of blood, and Chris lay back, lifting a knee to support Vin’s back and to allow his ass to slide down that fraction of an inch more. 

The pressure built; Chris tried to even his breathing, to keep his rising need under control. He didn’t want this to end. He wanted to watch Vin ride him, to see the flush rise from his chest, to his throat, to his face. He wanted to keep Vin’s eyes locked into his, to see them blur and dilate with arousal and pleasure. He wanted to hear Tanner’s cry as he climaxed and see that moment when he felt Chris empty into his body. 

He closed Vin’s cock in his fingers, slid the clasp the length of it, the oil on his fingers easing the friction as he worked it. He saw the quiver on Vin’s face as the sensation of being worked inside and out brought him to the crest he had prolonged, and could no longer ride. Chris angled his hips, touched the perfect point, and knew the pleasure of seeing Vin’s face as he climaxed, crying out Chris’s name. He reached out to Vin, pulled him forward, pressed deep and close and called his name, losing it in the sweet warmth of his lover’s throat. 

They lay in the water, Vin cradled in his arms, against his body. He remained there even after Chris’s cock softened and they were no longer joined. Their hearts slowed, breaths eased, and the water began to cool. Chris ran his fingers lightly down Vin’s spine, felt him arch against him and shiver. Damn thin-blooded Texan. He gathered Vin’s hair back from his face and looked down at him. He was tucked against Chris’s chest, his arms still wrapped around him. 

“Time to get outta here, Vin. You’re shivering.” 

“Don’t wanna move,” he mumbled. 

“Tough.” Chris kissed the top of his head. “C’mon. You had an idea, and now it’s my turn.” 

“Chris ...” 

He smiled at Vin, met eyes that were drowsy and shadowed with real weariness. “Trust me?” he whispered. 

“Always.” 

He eased Vin’s body off his, climbed out of the tub, and reached for the bath sheet hung on a hook. “Come on before you shake your teeth out.” He waited, the towel held open. Vin stepped out of the tub and was wrapped in the towel and Chris’s arms. Chris kissed him, twitched a second towel off the rack by the sink and knelt to dry Vin’s feet. He worked his way up Tanner’s lean legs, pausing to place an occasional kiss, until he was standing. Vin opened the towel and folded Chris’s body inside. He was too tired, and too sated for the feel of Vin’s warm, naked flesh to arouse him, but it felt good to be there, to be held close. Still wrapped in the towel and still entwined, they returned to the bedroom. 

Chris lay down, one arm crooked behind his head, the other held open in an invitation. Vin smiled and settled close, pulling the sheet and blanket over them. He lay back, accepting Chris’s offer of closeness. His hair brushed Chris’s arm and shoulders. Chris shifted a bit, bringing his body more in alignment with Vin’s, enjoying the feel of warmth and weight along the length of his. It had been a while since he had shared a bed with another person. He’d forgotten that simple pleasure of an intimate relationship; He was used to soft curves, not hard muscle, and he would have never dreamed in a million years that the person he’d be finding that pleasure with was Vin. He turned his head, met Tanner’s blue eyes, and wondered what the Texan was thinking. His expression was grave and watchful, his eyes wide and dark. “You got something you want to say?” he asked. 

A moment of hesitation, not long, as if Vin were choosing words rather than sifting through thoughts. Like he knew what he wanted to say and just wanted to be sure he said it right. “No regrets, Chris?” 

Regrets? Like he could regret what they had shared. Regrets were for things you wanted to forget. He didn’t want to forget one minute of this night. And he didn’t want this to be just one night. Lonely was a cold place and he’d been there for too long. He drew a deep breath. “Not one. Can’t afford regrets - there isn’t enough money in the world to ransom them. And there’s nothing here to regret, anyway. Not for me.” 

“Ain’t exactly what yer used to, Chris.” 

Chris laughed. “I’m a fast learner, if you haven’t figured that out yet.” 

Vin smiled then too. “Maybe ya jist had a good teacher.” He stroked a knuckle down Chris’s arm. “Still got a few things t’teach ya, if yer willin’.” 

Chris gave a small snort of amusement. “You ever hear of that saying, ‘The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’?” 

“You sayin’ yer wore out?” A flash of what might have been delight. 

“You sayin’ you’re not?” He slanted Vin a glance from beneath his half-closed eyes and curved his hand along Vin’s shoulder. “Think you can sleep?” 

Vin sighed, returned his glance with a smile. “I reckon I can try. Don’t feel much like it. I mean I’m tired, but if I sleep, the night’ll be over.” 

“It’ll be over even if you stay up through to sunrise.” Even as he said it, he felt a tug of regret that the night had to end. “But the sun coming up is a beginning, not an end.” He gathered Vin close enough for a kiss. “Like I said, I’m willing to walk this path with you, if that’s what you want.” 

Vin didn’t speak, just nodded his head. Chris figured he didn’t need words. He had Vin in his arms, and the world which he had waked to twenty hours earlier was not the world he was living in now. 

Somewhere along the way he had lost control, had let this reckless, wild night become so much more than he had ever imagined. He felt Vin’s hand move across his chest; a gentle touch, a bit drowsy, then he settled and grew still. The square of window on the wall opposite the bed was showing the faint opalescent light of dawn. A new day, a different life ... Chris laid his hand over Vin’s and closed his eyes. Daybreak would come soon enough. 

~end~

**Author's Note:**

> Ruby J: Author's Notes: Just a big thanks to Maygra for making this such fun to imagine and then write, and to Sue for beta-reading and encouragement -- though I didn't need a whole lot given the thoughts Maygra was putting in Vin's head . Hope you all enjoy reading Reckless, as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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